Viper's-bugloss is not easily confused with other wild plants on this web site.

Not very commonly seen in Ireland but unmistakeable when found, Viper's-bugloss is a strikingly handsome plant which reaches a height of up to 80cm. Usually a biennial, in its first year it produces a basal rosette of large, strap-shaped stalked leaves. The following year its beautiful flowers are borne on solitary stems which are covered in reddish bristles. The funnel-shaped flowers (15-20mm long) are deep blue with protruding violet-coloured stamens and grow in coiled cymes from leaf axils, blooming from May to September. As they uncurl, they are populated by numerous nectar-seeking insects including the Painted Lady butterfly. The upper unstalked leaves are narrow and pointed. This is a native plant which belongs to the family Boraginaceae.

I only saw this wildflower once in Ireland when I found it growing near Broad Lough, Co Wicklow in 1980. In 2010, I was lucky enough to be given a small seedling by a friend living not far from that area. It flowered in my own piece of garden in 2011.